In a more creative use for drones, Disney (yes, that Disney) began using drones to paint graffiti. As weird as it sounds, the family friendly multimedia company actually uses drone technology to create print off walls. However, it does not end there. Meet the Paintcopter.
Disney Paintcopter Drone
The drone itself looks like a spider, scaling walls and leaving behind not a web, but a printed image. It works by using its on-board spray-paint gun to release paint while it moves around to create the desired pattern. The paint itself comes from the ground; with a hose connecting the drone and the paint source together. This means that the drone cannot stray far from its source.
The idea for this Paintcopter is not only limited to graffiti or wall art. Researchers working on this unique drone also intend it for use on more mundane tasks like simply painting walls.
Painting structures can be painstakingly long, especially for tall buildings or long-reaching walls. For the most part, people in the past decades have relied on good old manual labour to get the job done. This usually took multiple people and multiple days to finish. With the Paintcopter, they hope to streamline this process of painting and minimize time spent on the task. This also means they plan to eliminate human painters, opting for a flying drone armed with a paint gun to do the job.
If you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. Drones can fly and can reach higher levels quicker. One must also consider the safety factor of the job. Painting outside tall buildings can be perilous, and a workplace accident has a high chance of occurring. Accidents can go from a few scrapes, to actual falls, which endanger the lives of people involved. Drones eliminate that possibility.
Nevertheless, you should probably not expect to see this drone in action any time soon. Apparently, in its initial tests, the accuracy and efficiency of the Paintcopter is a bit on the low side. The images produced by its actions are not efficiently made, nor was it as good as one made by a human painter. Further testing is necessary, and other upgrades are in order, to make their vision a reality.
